The coup was staged on the day of a vote to gauge public opinion on proposed changes to the constitution. The constitution was written 1982 at the height of US President Reagan’s wars against Central America and does little for the common person of the country; rather it protects those already in power. Although elected democratically, Zelaya is a minority in the right wing governing bodies. He had received a great deal of pressure and threats from almost all sides; army leaders, the Congress, the Supreme Court and election officials, who called the vote illegal. It is no surprise that once Zelaya was kidnapped and transported to Costa Rica, the congress read his ‘resignation letter’ and swore in Roberto Micheletti as the new president. Micheletti is a much more conservative, right wing politician and was a vocal opponent of Zelaya.
Just south across the border from Honduras is El Salvador, a country who has fought hard against neo-liberal policies, US interference, and brutal right wing oppression. On June 1, the FMLN President Mauricio Funes was sworn in, beginning a shift to the left. As Funes rolls out his reform he will be forced to walk a fine line between putting in place the policies his party campaigned on and getting the necessary votes in congress which still houses a majority of right wing officials.
The events unfolding in Honduras proves that the oligarchy will only stand for so much change before they begin calling in favors and stamping out progress. During his press conference from Costa Rica, Zelaya stated, “If the United States is not behind this coup, then the plotters won't last 48 hours in power." The clock is ticking to see if his assessment is proven correct.
Photo from Orlando Sierra / AFP/Getty Images / June 28, 2009.
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